Poll: Supreme Court will nix gay marriage

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Most Americans predict the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, a national poll indicated Thursday.

And most Americans would prefer the court to rule that way, the Angus Reid Public Opinion poll found.

The online survey of a representative national sampling of 1,000 U.S. adults indicated 52 percent believe the justices will define marriage as a heterosexual union, while 28 percent think the court will define marriage federally as a union between two people, regardless of gender.

Fifty-eight percent want the court to define marriage as heterosexual only, while 34 percent would like no gender limitations, the survey found.

Slightly more than a third, or 34 percent, say couples of the same sex should be allowed to marry, while 26 percent say they should only be allowed to form civil unions.

Three in 10 people, or 31 percent, say gay and lesbian couples should have no legal recognition, the survey indicated.

Angus Reid released the results a day after testimony ended in the first stage of a federal trial over the fate of Proposition 8, California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.

Final arguments in the non-jury trial are expected as early as in March. Both sides expect the case to be appealed until it reaches the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Angus Reid survey was conducted Jan. 12-13 and weighted to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult U.S. population. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent, Angus Reid said.